Israeltech

One person built a product in a few months that threatened the core business of a 5,000-person company.

Wix acquired Base44 for around $80 million. A year later, it's doing $100 million in ARR. At the time of acquisition, it had $1 million.

Itai Green, co-founder and CEO of Global Innovation & Strategy and author of Innovation or Elimination: Winning in A World of Constant Change, uses this as a live case study for why corporations can't afford to wait. The moment you see a startup solving a problem that sits at the center of...

Dr. David Leitner, known as Dr. D, has worn many hats. IDF special operations soldier, direct PhD graduate, eight-year academic director at Bar-Ilan University, strategy advisor who has pulled founders back from the edge of collapse, and now, founder of Rhydlwood, a business hub for founders who are tired of figuring it out alone.

Dr. D. was injured during the Second Intifada while serving as a sniper in Maglan, one of the IDF's elite special operations units. His injuries led to a severe nerve disorder called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, one of the worst known...

Data powers almost everything we do online.

Booking a flight. Shopping online. Training AI models. Comparing prices. Even understanding global events.

In this conversation, Yoel Israel sits down with Or Lenchner, CEO of Bright Data, to explore the massive infrastructure behind public web data and why access to information has become one of the most valuable assets in tech today.

Or shares how Bright Data grew into a platform used by more than 20,000 customers, why Meta took the company to court, how they won, and what it takes to...

Why are global tech executives continuing to pour capital into Israel, even in times of crisis?

Former Meetup and Investopedia CEO David Siegel joins Yoel Israel for a wide-ranging conversation about Israeli tech, aliyah, resilience, and why global executives continue investing in Israel even during wartime.

David shares the story behind Israel Tech Mission, an initiative bringing global tech and business leaders to Israel to experience the ecosystem firsthand. Since October 7, hundreds of executives, investors, and founders have joined the missions, leading to investments, partnerships, mentorships, and deeper ties to Israel’s...

This past week, IsraelTech was on the ground at the Smart Mobility Summit in Tel Aviv, where leaders from across the mobility, automotive, defense, and tech industries came together to talk about what’s next.

One of the biggest moments from the summit was hearing Elon Musk speak about the future of full self-driving technology and where countries like Israel fit into that future.

While at the conference, we sat down with Yaron Flint to talk about everything happening across the mobility world right now, from Chinese electric vehicles and autonomous driving to drones, logistics, in...

Stav Levi Neumark joined Monday.com when it was about 15 people. She told them in the interview they were already too big for her.

She stayed anyway, built an internal tool called BigBrain that connected company data to go-to-market decisions, watched Monday scale to an IPO, and then left to build Alta.

In this episode, Stav compares the current GTM infrastructure problem to on-premise computing before AWS. Every company is building their own room full of servers, manually stitching together data sources, channels, and signals that should be connected. It's expensive...

AI is not replacing humans. It’s replacing those who don’t know how to use AI.

Yoel Israel sat down with Omri Hurwitz, founder of Omri Hurwitz Media. Omri grew his firm to 60 active clients by owning the media outlets his competitors were still pitching. He joins the show to talk execution, VC incentives, PR, AI, media ownership, founder branding, and why most marketers move too slowly.

Omri breaks down why founders fail by trying to please investors, why great operators are rare, and why the future of PR belongs to c...

What does influencer marketing actually look like in cybersecurity?

In this conversation, Yael Moav, Executive Director of Cyfluencer, shares how B2B influencer marketing works when the audience is made up of decision-makers, not consumers.

From the early days of building Cyfluencer to working with global cybersecurity companies, Yael explains why trust matters more than reach, how Israeli and American companies approach marketing differently, and what it takes to build influence in a highly technical space.

The discussion also covers how influencers shape brand perception, why authenticity...

India and Israel have more overlap in tech than most people in either country realize. Shared emphasis on engineering talent, a culture of building under constraints, and a growing number of founders, investors, and operators moving between both ecosystems.

Revital Moses, producer at IsraelTech, sits at that intersection. She moved from India to Israel at 25, built a content practice from scratch, and now produces the coverage that IsraelTech puts out on founders and investors. Her own channel, Moses in Israel, recently crossed 100K subscribers!

In this conversation, she talks about what...

Israel’s tech ecosystem is going through a shift.

Early stage startups are finding it harder to raise. Investors are focusing on stronger companies with real traction. Sectors outside AI and cyber are feeling that pressure more than others.

At the same time, global demand for Israeli technology remains strong. Companies from around the world are still coming to Israel to find talent, partnerships, and new solutions.

In this conversation, Yariv Lotan and Hila Shitrit Nissim from ⁨@startupnationcentral⁩ share what they are seeing across the ecosystem.

There’s a reason people kept talking about Tech1 after it ended.

Idan Nimni, CEO of Tech1, didn’t try to reinvent conferences. He focused on something more basic, how people actually spend time together.

Most events in Israel happen in Tel Aviv. People come in for a session, take a few meetings, then head back to work or home. The density is high, but the time is limited.

Tech1 changed that by moving everything to Eilat and stretching it across three days.

Same...

The Israeli tech ecosystem is evolving.

In this conversation, Guy Navon, CEO of Discount-Tech, shares a detailed view of how the ecosystem is changing, from investment trends to the impact of AI on startups.

After years of growth driven by SaaS and cybersecurity, the focus is shifting toward deep tech, climate tech, food tech, and agritech. At the same time, more foreign investors are entering Israel, bringing larger rounds and new opportunities.

But there are also challenges. More startups are incorporating in the US, and the economics...

Most people think venture capital is about spotting big ideas.

It’s not.

In this conversation with Ariel Sterman, Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners , the focus shifts to something much more practical. How founders actually think, how quickly they can adapt when things don’t work, and why the ability to iterate matters more than having a perfect vision from day one.

We also get into a bigger question: Is Israel actually behind in AI, or is it just playing a different role in the ecosystem?

Fr...

What happens when a global recording artist is also a self taught technologist?

In this episode of IsraelTech, Yoel Israel sits down with global artist Nissim Black to explore the intersection of music, technology, AI, media, and spirituality.

Before becoming an internationally known artist, Nissim grew up watching computers being built in his home and experimenting with music production equipment as a kid. That early exposure shaped the way he approaches creativity and technology today.

They discuss how podcasting and music production rely on many of the same tools, how AI is already...

Security teams are drowning in alerts.

What if the real breach happens while you are busy fixing the wrong one?

In this episode of IsraelTech, we sit down with Sharon Isaaci, Co-Founder and CEO of Tonic Security, to discuss the growing gap between cyber detection and real risk reduction.

Sharon previously served as Chief Intelligence Officer and CISO of the IDF Home Front Command, where he was responsible for intelligence and information security during national emergencies. After transitioning to the private sector, he saw a recurring pattern: breaches often stemmed...

At CyberTech Tel Aviv, we sat down with Captain Eli, former Tesla team member and now working with xAI, for a wide-ranging conversation about Tesla, full self-driving, X, and Israel’s role in the future of mobility.

Eli shares his journey from selling Teslas in Israel (even selling one to our very own Yoel Israel) to working within the Elon Musk ecosystem and explains why he believes Israel could be the first country to fully adopt self-driving technology.

We discuss:

00:00 – How Yoel met Eli at Tesla

02:30 – From Tesla to xAI...

Developers don’t spend their days just writing code.

According to Zohar Einy, Co-founder and CEO of Port.io, coding is only a small part of the job. Ownership is the real work.

In this episode of IsraelTech, Zohar breaks down how engineering teams actually operate today, why AI agents are creating new risks inside enterprises, and how Port is helping teams move faster without losing control.

We also talk about pressure in Israeli tech, working with investors as real partners, and what it means to build a company meant to...

Most cyber conversations focus on prevention. Refael Franco focuses on what comes after. In this Cybertech interview, the Code Blue CEO & founder and former national cyber leader shares firsthand experience from some of Israel’s most serious cyber incidents.

Before founding Code Blue, Refael Franco helped build Israel’s national cyber defense from the ground up. As one of the early leaders of the Israel National Cyber Directorate, he was responsible for protecting civilian infrastructure at a time when cyber threats were becoming very real.

At Cybertech, Franco shared what it was like...

What happens after an attacker gets in?

At Cybertech Tel Aviv, we spoke with Yuval Goldberg, VP of Product at Zero Networks, about lateral movement, microsegmentation, and why security teams need automation to keep up with modern attacks.

Yuval explains how Zero Networks approaches zero trust, removes friction between IT and security, and helps organizations contain breaches before they turn into major incidents.

This interview is part of IsraelTech’s coverage as an official media partner at Cybertech, spotlighting the people building the next generation of cybersecurity fr...

Most people think finance is complicated. Eldad Tamir (Founder of Finq) thinks it’s intentionally broken.

On this episode of IsraelTech, we sit down for a raw conversation about why the middle class is set up to lose and how AI is changing the future of wealth management.

Eldad explains how modern wealth management was built to serve the ultra-rich, why the middle class is pushed into bad financial products, and how human emotions quietly destroy long-term returns. We dive into psychology, Israeli risk-taking, the "B2C gap" in Israeli VC, and why Eldad believes we...

For years, Israeli tech has often been described as a single, unified ecosystem. Today, that narrative is evolving.

In this episode, Eyal Bino, founding partner of 97212 Ventures, explores how New York has emerged as a critical tech hub for Israeli founders outside of Israel - and how this global expansion is opening new pathways for growth, collaboration, and impact across the Israeli tech ecosystem.

If you think success comes down to talent alone, this episode will challenge you.

What we cover:

- Why New York...

What if the hardest startup to build is actually a VC fund?

Most founders think raising money is brutal. According to Eran Savir, Founder and Managing Partner of Savyon Ventures, building the fund itself is a tougher climb than any startup he built. And after three exits and one painful failure, he has the scars to explain why.

In this episode, Eran breaks down the real mechanics behind seed investing, why early traction matters far more than pitch decks, and the parts of founding that still surprise him even after years on...

What if the future of AI isn’t just about faster chips - but about how people, teams, and entire countries will work once AI operates at massive scale?

In this episode of IsraelTech, Yoel Israel sits down with Boaz Touitou, CTO of Impala AI, for a wide-ranging conversation that moves far beyond GPUs and hardware limits.

We dive into:

- Impala AI’s focus and why compute is the limiting factor

- Training vs. test-time scaling and what changes at massive run counts

- The GPU race and why...

Remote work isn’t a perk anymore - it’s a real test of how a company operates.

Some teams handle it with focus and speed. Others fall apart.

In our latest conversation, Yaron Lavi, CTO of Deel, broke down what it actually looks like to run a fully remote company of 7,000 people across 61 countries - and why so many teams still get it wrong.

Deel, a proud partner of IsraelTech, has built one of the most global tech workforces on the planet. Yaron explained why their model works:

• Small teams, clear...

If you want to know where global investors get Israel wrong, ask someone who has built billion-dollar businesses and now backs founders for a living.

Yevgeny Gelfand is a serial innovator and business builder who spent 15 years in financial services and SaaS, launching and operating new businesses that either exited through IPO or grew privately into multi-billion-dollar operations. After that run, he shifted into venture investing, backing and scaling startups across sectors and geographies.

Yev, now a Partner at Alumni Ventures, joins IsraelTech to explain why so many investors still misread both the real risk...

When it comes to startup success, Israelis don’t just build - they connect.

In this episode, Lirone Glikman, CEO of the Human Factor and author of The Super Connectors Playbook, joins Yoel Israel to unpack what really makes the Israeli tech ecosystem thrive and why connection is the biggest competitive edge.

From cultural clashes in Tokyo to the empathy that drives founders to help competitors, Lirone shares her insights on building authentic relationships, developing a founder-led personal brand, and creating meaningful opportunities through human connection.

You’ll learn:

- Why Isra...

In this episode of IsraelTech, Yoel Israel sits down with Dror Globerman, journalist, media personality, and founder of Jumpstart AI School, for one of the deepest and most provocative conversations yet.

They dive into:

- How algorithms reward hate and tribalism

- Why human nature, not technology, is the real problem

- The death of legacy media and rise of individual trust

- The danger of unregulated AI capitalism

- Why Israel is falling behind in AI education

- And how Dror believes technology can...

NVIDIA is the world’s most innovative company.

Israel is the world’s most creative nation.

What happens when the two come together?

At Reichman University’s first-ever ScaleUp Nation Conference, Yoel had the privilege of being invited to interview Nati Amsterdam, Senior Country Director of NVIDIA Israel, on stage in Hebrew. They discussed how Israel became one of NVIDIA’s most strategic global hubs and how a culture built on learning, speed, and accessibility drives growth at every level.

Nati shared lessons on scaling globally, collaborating locally, and why...

What if the future of autonomous cars isn’t powered by cameras or LiDAR, but by radar?

In this episode, Kobi Marenko, CEO and Co-founder of Arbe, joins Yoel Israel to unpack how radar-on-chip technology could reshape the future of autonomous driving and why the giants of silicon may be standing in the way of true innovation.

We explore:

- How radar sees what cameras can’t, and why that matters for safety

- The challenges of building semiconductors in a world dominated by mega-corporations

- Kobi’s journey from T...

Everyone talks about hackers. Almost no one talks about the access decisions that let them in.

In this episode of IsraelTech, Raz Rotenberg, Co-founder & CEO of Fabrix, joins Yoel Israel to explain how Fabrix is building AI agents that finally understand identity - bringing reasoning, context, and trust into cybersecurity.

We cover:

- Why identity is cybersecurity’s blind spot

- How Fabrix’s AI agents make smarter access decisions

- Why humans still matter in an AI-driven security world

- What makes Israel the perfect testing grou...

Quantum computers the size of football fields? How about something that actually fits in your office?

In this episode, Oded Melamed, CEO of Quantum Source and former co-founder of Altair (acquired by Sony), joins Yoel Israel to explain how his team is building scalable photonic qubit technology that could shrink massive machines into something that fits inside a standard server room.

We talk about:

- Why today’s quantum computers aren’t big enough to matter

- How photonic qubits can scale to millions (without burning a city’s worth of power)

Everyone talks about Israel’s cybersecurity and defense tech, but what about consumer brands?

Danny Cohen, Co-Founder & General Partner at Sticker Ventures and former GP at Viola Ventures, joins Yoel Israel to explain why he launched Israel’s first VC dedicated to B2C. From mattresses to gaming apps, Cohen argues that Israel’s next global hits won’t come from cyber, but from consumer creativity mixed with data-driven performance marketing.

We cover:

- Why Israel is uniquely positioned for B2C success

- The surprising IPOs and exits yo...

Iran tried to destroy them. AI21 Labs kept building.

Ori Goshen, Co-CEO of AI21 Labs, joins IsraelTech to talk about AI, war, and the future of Israel’s place in the global AI race.

In this interview, you’ll see:

- How AI21 Labs kept building even after a missile strike hit near their office

- Why Ori says “AI doomsday” fears are overblown and what the real threats are

- How Israel can partner with the Gulf to become a third global AI power

- The future o...

DNA Is the New Assembly Line

From insulin to spider silk, synthetic biology is already reshaping what we eat, wear, and use - and you probably don’t even know it.

The next leap? Taking biomanufacturing beyond pharma and into everything from sustainable food to lab-grown materials. That’s where MNDL Bio comes in, solving the biggest bottleneck: making DNA engineering faster, smarter, and cheaper.

We sat down with Eran Miller - passionate about impact and sustainable development, with 10 years in international business development and 12 years in R&D. He’s brid...

Most people think cyber is Israel’s crown jewel, but is FinTech quietly winning the long game?

Adi Levanon is the founder of Selah Ventures and one of the few solo GPs shaking up Israel’s VC scene. In this episode, she shares why FinTech - not cyber - might be Israel’s best-kept secret, how she wrote her first $500K check without flinching, and what the rise of FinTech defense means for the global fight against financial crime. Recorded at Google for Startups with Yoel Israel.

We dive into:

- Building a fund f...

JUST DROPPED: An incredible conversation with Nina Raab of LionRun Consulting about the REAL secrets of startup fundraising!

Nina’s story?

She made Aliyah 1.5 years ago and built a 10-person consultancy from Tel Aviv to NYC.

Now she helps seed to Series B startups raise serious cash - and 40% of her clients are Israeli. 🇮🇱

What blew us away:

- Most founders waste time pitching to the wrong VCs

- You need 3 different deck versions (not just one!)

- VC analysts - not partners - often decide y...

No pilots? No GPS? No problem!

Xtend CEO Aviv Shapira is building the most advanced AI drone systems in the world - and they're already being used in Gaza, Lebanon, and Ukraine.

We sat down with Aviv at Xtend HQ to break down:

🧠 How AI pilots can fly swarms of drones autonomously

🏙️ Why GPS-denied environments are no longer a limitation

🛰️ What really happened during the drone strike deep inside Russia

🇨🇳 How China’s drone dominance is reshaping global security

⚔️ And why tanks and fighter jets are becoming... obsolete...

AI Can Write Code. But It Can’t Optimize It.

That blindspot? Meni Shmueli built DataFlint to fix it.

After years in Unit 81 and deep in the trenches of AI and big data, Meni saw the problem firsthand: GitHub Copilot and friends can generate code, but when it hits real-world scale - production clusters, terabytes of data, performance bottlenecks - they break.

DataFlint gives AI the context it’s missing. It integrates with code editors, retrieves actual performance data, and enables AI to write code that runs at s...

What happens when you mix a CISO’s vigilance with a VC’s capital? You get OurCrowd.

Yuval Illuz didn’t come up through the VC boys’ club. He built his career defending critical infrastructure, leading global cyber teams, and mastering AI long before it was trending. Now? He’s backing startups that win wars - economic and literal.

💥 Israel’s most active VC.

🛰️ Betting big on defense tech, SLMs, and agentic AI.

💸 Giving accredited investors early access to Databricks-level opportunities.

If you’re still raising money li...

Why do so many talented immigrants leave Israel within just a few years?

Abbey Onn, Executive Director of Nevo Network, joins IsraelTech to expose a challenge most don’t talk about: one in three English-speaking Olim leave Israel within three years and it’s often because they can’t find their footing professionally.

Nevo is changing that by creating long-term, high-impact support systems for immigrant talent in Israeli tech.

Abbey brings 20 years of leadership experience in higher ed and nonprofit sectors, including as CEO of InsideIL. She now pa...